CLOCK THESE SAVINGS
Cut Your Spending Every Day Without Feeling The Pinch
by Isabelle Kassam and Mike Bull
Sun Cashflow
 
FROM the moment your morning alarm rings until the time you turn in at night you waste money.
    We fritter away an average £6,000 a year - that's £16.43 a day, or £1 for each waking hour.
    But it couldn't be easier to take control of your cash - and start saving today. We're not talking about drastic measures which would net you thousands.
    Instead we've come up with easy ideas you'll hardly notice - but which will leave you quids in.
    Here's Sun Cashflow's guide to round the clock savings.
 
07.00 Time to get up - and why not have a shower instead of a bath? You'll use two fifths of the water, knocking £10 a year off you heating bills.
    And don't leave the shower head dripping afterwards. Fixing a drip can save up to £5 a year on bills.
 
08.00 Go to work. But forget that latte or capuccino at the station. Buy a flask and take your coffee with you.
    A cup in the High Street can cost up to £1.75. At work, most of us pay around 30p from the canteen or a machine. So a worker buying one coffee a day while commuting and three at work spends £10 a week - or £520 a year. Obviously you spend this money because you like coffee, but is it really worth it now you see the actual cost?
    A decent metal flask costs around £20, so you'll get your money back in about a fortnight.
 
09.00 Many of us sip water all day, at about £1 for a 300cl bottle. But larger companies provide free mineral water. So drink it - and you save £260 a year. (Axiompc says: Stuff mineral water in the UK, TAP water is just as good if not better.)
 
11.00 Coffee break. Bring in a snack or biscuit and save 50p or £130 a year. And don't forget you've got your flask.
 
13.00 Lunch. Do you eat in the canteen or pub? You could save serious cash with a simple packed lunch. Spending £3 a day on lunch adds up to £15 a week. A packed lunch is likely to save you up to £2 a day. Over 260 working days, that's £520 a year. A picnic is also a great way to save money on days out with the kids.
    If you walk around the shops at lunchtime, avoid buying things you don't need. Research by Barclays Bank shows Britons cough up £137,000,000 EVERY DAY on sweets, snacks, magazines and impulse purchases. Many prople spend up to £3,000 a year in this way, the study found - money you could keep.
    Your mobile phone is another lunchtime money grabber. Don't make expensive calls - say it with text messages, and your mobile is cheaper than a normal phone. Most operators charge between 5p and 7p for a text message. but long-distance calls during the day are 12p a minute. Text messages DO take a while to write. But it is time you are not paying for. And check that you are on the best tariff. A cheaper one could cut your bills by £50 a year.
 
14.00 A gap between meetings gives you a chance to do the family bills. Changing your gas, electricity or phone supplier could save up to 20 per cent of the bill, especially if you pay by direct debit. Typical utility bills are £300 a year so that's a £60 for gas and electricity - or a total of £120.
    You could probably cut your phone bill by about £20 a quarter, making another £80 annual saving. Call local suppliers to find the best deals or visit independent websites www.Power2Switch.com and www.buy.co.uk.
 
15.00 Don't stick stamps on all those bills without thinking. If you pay them at the Post Office (or a Pay Point), you save the postage. And you can also save cash if you only use first class stamps on urgent mail. And don't forget to reuse envelopes. All these could save you £20 a year.
 
17.00 Time to go home. Are you commuting by bus or train? Get a season ticket and save around 20 per cent.
    You could even ask a colleague who travels by car to give you a lift. You could share their petrol costs and still save up to £200 a year.
 
18.00 Back at home. Draw the curtains as soon as the light starts to fade. That will knock about £15 a year off your heating bills.
 
20.00 Instead of going out for a meal with mates, have what's called an American Supper - where everyone comes to your house bringing food and wine. That will save you about £20 a time - £100 a year if you make it a regular event.
    Cut down on pet food. Ask your fishmonger or butcher for scraps. They work out much cheaper than tinned pet food.
 
20.30 Tidy up after dinner - but keep an eye of what you throw away. The average family of four fills a 17p bin bag EVERY DAY. That's £62 a year in bags. You can buy cheaper ones, but they tend to split so you end up using more. But recycling paper, card, bottles, tins and turning vegetable peelings and food waste into compost will cut the volume of your rubbish by half, saving £30 a year in bags.
 
21.00 Spare some time to sort out the family finances. Switching to a cheaper mortgage sshould cut your monthly payment by £10 or more if you shop around. Get a few quotes when it's time to renew your home and car insurance - you could save up to 30 per cent.
    Also make sure you take advantage of any tax perks available. We each waste £160 a year by paying unnecessary tax according to independent financial advisers group IFAP.
 
22.00 Time to curl up in bed with a good book. But don't buy them - get your library to order in the latest bestsellers so you can read them free. You may like to keep the books you buy, but will you ever read those novels again? Unlikely, so save some cash by borrowing them.
    And use a hot water bottle instead of an electric blanket to stay warm. (Point of interest here though: Beds warmed by electric blankets can contain up to 3 GALLONS LESS moisture than those that only use a hot water bottle. Axiompc.)
 
23.00 Lights out. But before you go to sleep make sure you switch your telly off - leaving it on standby uses electricity. Around the country televisions on standby use up enough electricity to run a small power station. You will save £10 a year if you get out of bed and switch it off.
    And why not change your bulbs to energy efficient ones? They are expensive, at around £5 each, but last up to ten times longer and use less power - saving you £10 a year.
 
DRIVING      CALM down at the Wheel - road rage costs you money.
    Research by the RAC shows that you can reduce fuel costs by 30 per cent if you drive carefully. For starters, be aware of the other cars around you and keep your distance so you don't have to keep braking suddenly. Putting your foot down at one set of lights only to have to jump on the brakes at the next is the most expensive way you can drive your car. By constantly braking and accelerating you waste loads of fuel. Not to mention wear and tear on your brakes. An average motorist will save around £260 a year just by being more careful.
    Driving with your heated rear windscreen or air conditioning on all the time also adds to fuel costs, so only use them when you need to. Bumps and dents in your bodywork and keeping the window or sunroof open also make the car more expensive to drive. Learn basic car maintenance, check your car once a month and you will save a fortune on repairs.
    Get a year-old car instead of a new one. You start losing money the moment you drive a new car off the forecourt and it will be worth thousands less by the end of the first year. If you must buy a new car, go to one of the many businesses now importing cars from abroad rather than a tied dealer.
 

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page